No second chances needed here, this Mulligan gets it right the first time!

By Jim Vigani

AT A GLANCE Type:

PHOTOGRAPHY: JIM VIGANI &#38; JIM WIGGIN I 64

f you like race airplanes, you just have to like Benny Howard’s DGA-6, more commonly known as the Mister Mulli- gan (the DGA refers to Darn Good Air-

craft). Built in 1934, the DGA-6 was specif- ically designed to win long distance races. The layout of the Mulligan, while relatively conventional, was rather atypical for an air racer of its day. Benny Howard felt that a slower airplane, flying above the weather with enough fuel to complete the race with less fuel stops was the way to go. The thought was that not stopping as often for fuel would make up for its slower top speed. To accommodate for the added fuel, the Mulligan was larger and a bit bulkier than its typical competitor. In the 1935 Bendix air race, Howard’s strategy paid off—just. He beat second place winner Roscoe Turner flying a Wedell-Williams with almost double the horsepower by 23½ seconds in the 2000- mile race between Burbank, California and

Cleveland, Ohio. Piloted by Harold Neu- man, the Mister Mulligan went on to win the 1935 Thompson Trophy Race when Roscoe Turner had engine trouble on the last lap of the race and had to land. Without a doubt, the Mister Mulligan was

a significant airplane of its time. It was the only airplane to ever win the Bendix and Thompson races in the same year, and had the further distinction of being the only air racer from the “Golden Age” to evolve into a successful commercial production aircraft, first as the DGA-8 and 9, followed by the DGA 11 and 12. Having thought about building a Mister Mulligan a number of times over the years, but never actually getting around to it, I was excited to get the chance to do this review. Also, it was my first ARF from ElectriFly and I was curious to see how their products were put together. Well, let me say unequivocally, I was not disappointed. This is a very well